We'll be using blogs for research in two ways: First, you will be consulting the blogs of others for research and ideas about your topic. Second, you will be keeping your own blog to record your notes and ideas as you proceed in your research throughout the year. This blog will help you keep track of your thinking as it develops, and it will give me (and others) a chance to share in your thinking and research process by making comments and suggestion. Blogs are becoming more popular than websites, and they've become an essential part of sharing ideas and information within a work group or web-linked community. Some blogs let you limit who can see the information you post, and some are part of a social network of connected blogs where "members" or "friends" can share and collaborate.
What is a blog?
What is a social network? (Common Craft)